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October 29
1900s-1950s *1920 - Boston Red Sox manager Ed Barrow becomes the general manager of the New York Yankees. Barrow led the Red Sox to the World Championship in 1918. Hugh Duffy replaces Barrow in Boston. *1931 - Lefty Grove, winner of 31 games for the Philadelphia Athletics, is named American League MVP. Grove led the league in strikeouts for the seventh straight season and topped all pitchers in winning percentage, ERA and complete games. *1942 - Branch Rickey, the architect of the St. Louis Cardinals minor league system, resigned as the team's vice president. The future Hall of Famer will become the president of the Brooklyn Dodgers. *1945 - Happy Chandler, who had continued to serve in the U.S. Senate after becoming baseball commissioner, resigns his political office. He will move the commissioner's quarters to Cincinnati. *1949 - The Chicago White Sox make arguably their best trade ever, sending backup catcher Joe Tipton to the Philadelphia Athletics for future Hall of Fame second baseman Nellie Fox. *1956 - The Chicago White Sox name future Hall of Famer Al Lopez as their new manager. Lopez replaces Marty Marion, who was fired after guiding the Sox to a third-place finish in the American League. 1960s-1990s *1969 - Tom Seaver, who won 25 games to help lead the Mets to one of the most unlikely World Championships in major league history, is voted the NL Cy Young Award winner. *1975 - Fred Lynn of the Boston Red Sox is the overwhelming choice as American League Rookie of the Year. Lynn, who helped the Red Sox to the AL championship, made the AL All-Star team, hit .331 with 21 home runs and 105 RBI, and led the league in runs (103), doubles (47), slugging percentage (.566) and OPS (.967). A Gold Glove winner as well, he will later become the first rookie to win the Most Valuable Player Award. *1979 - Hall of Famer Willie Mays severed all ties to MLB after signing a contract with the Bally Corporation, which is involved with legalized gambling in Atlantic City, N.J. *1981 - Bill Giles, Phillies vice president for the past 11 years, heads a group that purchases the club for just over $30 million, the highest price paid to date for a major league club. Giles is the son of longtime National League president and Hall of Fame member Warren C. Giles. *1985 - St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Joaquín Andújar is suspended for the first 10 games of the 1986 season as a result of his World Series Game Seven tantrum during which he twice bumped home plate umpire Don Denkinger. A controversial first base call by Denkinger in Game Six helped to force a game seventh as the Kansas City Royals won the WS championship. *1991 - Buck Showalter replaces Stump Merrill as the manager of the New York Yankees. At age 35, Showalter becomes the youngest active manager in the major leagues. He will manage the Yankees through the end of the 1995 season. 2000s *2001 - Commissioner Bud Selig says MLB is considering eliminating two teams could by the start of next season. Contraction would include the Montreal Expos and either the Minnesota Twins or the Florida Marlins. *2002 - Bringing the total to seven this month, three new managers are named, including Ned Yost (Milwaukee), Ken Macha (Oakland) and Eric Wedge (Cleveland). Being younger than two of his players (Ellis Burks and Omar Vizquel), Wedge, at the age of 34, becomes the youngest manager in major league history. Births *1882 - Solly Hofman, outfielder (d. 1956) *1939 - Pete Richert, All-Star pitcher *1944 - Frank Bibby, All-Star pitcher *1959 - Jesse Barfield, All-Star outfielder *1974 - R.A. Dickey, pitcher *1975 - Karim García, outfielder *1983 - Dana Eveland, pitcher Deaths *1924 - Pop Snyder, player and manager (b. 1854) *1959 - Dave Fultz, outfielder (b. 1875) *1965 - Bill McKechnie, Hall of Fame player and manager (b. 1886) *1982 - Tom Sheehan, player and manager (b. 1894) *1996 - Ewell Blackwell, All-Star pitcher (b. 1922)